3 Tips for planning a great Engagement Session

We absolutely LOVE engagement sessions! It gives us a chance to get to know our couples before the wedding day, which is really important to us. It develops the trust and relationship with your photographer, which will help make your wedding portraits so much more natural. We believe if you have an engagement session beforehand, it gives you an idea how your photographer works and will give you the confidence you need to rock your portraits with ease on your wedding day.

So, how DO you prepare for a wonderful and fun engagement session? We have 5 tips that we know will help you ROCK your engagement pictures.

1. Location, Location, Location!

What type of mood are you trying to portray? Soft and romantic? Edgy or moody? Relaxed and Fun? A combination? The location your choose will help set that intention for you and your photographer. If you have a favorite spot you both enjoy going to or a spot that has a lot of meaning to you as a couple works beautifully. From coffee shops to beaches, your location should reflect who you both are as a couple. If you are looking at event venues or private gardens, make sure you check the location for a photography fee beforehand. Your photographer would appreciate it:)

Pro Tip: Do scout out your location before your session day, either on Google Maps if it is far away or drive to the actual location. Always research if there are events going on the day you are scheduled for your session!

2. Choosing your Outfits and Accessories

Just to get it out there, we are NOT big fans of matching outfits. That does not fit our style. The kinds of outfits we love to see our couples wear are ones they feel beautiful/handsome in and ones that are comfortable to move in. It’s important to wear something that gives you a bit of “oomph” when it comes to confidence in front of the camera. Depending upon your style, your outfit should reflect that. Flowy tops/skirts/dresses + flower crown= soft/romantic mood, while a button-down shirt + bowtie reflects a more fun and stylish mood. For our stylish brides-to-be, try Rent the Runway for your engagement outfit and accessories, they have some fantastic pieces! Head on over to our Pinterest boards for more inspiration for outfits and style.

Pro Tip: If you have a makeup trial coming up, perhaps schedule it on the day you are having the engagement photos. You will have that boost of confidence AND get to see what your wedding day makeup would be like.

3. Have fun in front of the camera!

Let’s face it, unless you are used to being photographed everyday, there are some nerves that come with being put in front of a photographer and told to “act natural”. What does that even mean? For example, if your photographer asks you to put your foreheads together and look down to get a romantic feel to the pose, there is nothing about that that feels natural. As photographers, we give you direction and place you in poses to get the desired feel you are looking for in your engagement session. But one thing is for sure, do not get caught up in making the poses look “perfect”. Once a photographer places you in a pose or asks you to do something, you can make it your own. If you are touching foreheads with your loved one and looking down, whisper to them, nuzzle into them, make it about that moment you are in. Make sure you also laugh and look lovingly at your beloved throughout the session, there is no need to take it so seriously. You are creating memories with these pictures as well as celebrating the reason you are taking them.

Pro Tip: Bring bobby pins for unexpected wind and lipstick to touch up between kisses. Prep your significant other by “trying out” poses at home- they may feel less awkward if you practice beforehand:)

There you have it, our top 3 engagement session tips. The main thing to keep in mind is the reason why you are taking the pictures in the first place-because you are getting married! Whether these pictures are being given as gifts, being used as Save-The-Dates, or used at the wedding reception, they need to reflect you as a couple.

If you have any questions for us about these tips or anything else engagement related, do not hesitate to send us an email, we would love to hear from you!

i love all these tips when getting engagement photos taken. my favorite tip was number 3 about having fun in front of the camera. explained beautifully with lots of ideas. the engagement photography is beautiful.

Jamie-SUCH great advice. It is amazing how much the story telling of an image is improved when the details are planned!ReplyCancel

Christine D-These are all great engagement session tips! It is such a great thing when a couple can work with their wedding photographer prior to the big day just to learn how to work with each other. And it is such a great thing to have portraits together without the formal wedding attire involved! Any clients working with Peach and Oak Photography can be assured they are in good hands!ReplyCancel

Alyssa-These tips for engagement sessions are fantastic. So helpful for any couple looking to get their engagement photos done!! It is so hard to know what to expect when you haven’t done this before. I think the wardrobe tips are some of the best, as what to choose to wear can really stress people out. But truly there is probably nothing more important than relaxing and having fun!!ReplyCancel

Melanie Melugin-Oh how I would have loved to have advice prior to our engagement session. What a great idea – to then – give to your clients to prep them for their perfect session and make the images remarkable.!ReplyCancel

Samantha-What helpful tips! A lot of these tips are things couples would never even think about so thank you for posting some tips from a photographer’s perspective. Couples may sometimes get overwhelmed when it comes to making these important engagement session decisions but this post broke it down so simply. Love the “prep your significant other” by trying out poses ahead of time tip. So clever!ReplyCancel

Esther-This is such a helpful blog post about how to prepare for engagement photography. I’m excited to see more of your engagement sessions this year!ReplyCancel

Kathy-I loved reading your tips!! They were so helpful! I have a sister who is getting married soon and I will definitely sharing this with her! I definitely agree with you that the engagement session is an important part of your wedding photography. It’s like a warm-up for the big day 🙂ReplyCancel

Brandi H -Awesome tips – and I especially agree about the bobby pins for unexpected wind! While wind can make some gorgeous photos, it can also just get in the way!ReplyCancel